Twentieth Century Chronicle

Page 9

Emotionally, Ji Yihui still found it difficult to accept the assertion that the landlord class must be eliminated; however, rationally, he did accept Lin Xinyi's reasons for why the landlord class needed to be eliminated, which was precisely the biggest contradiction among Tokyo students studying in Japan regarding the Labor Party's ideology.

On the one hand, the Labour Party pointed out a genuine path, which was far more logical than the revolutionaries' rhetoric about overthrowing the Manchu court. On the other hand, this path required everyone to first eliminate the class to which their own family belonged. At that time, almost all Chinese students sent abroad for studies came from landlord families, making this path particularly difficult to accept.

Of the hundreds of Chinese students in Tokyo and Yokohama, only 47 ultimately joined the Labor Party, a little over one-tenth. Among them were hesitant individuals like Ji Yihui. Ultimately, the reason was that people still held hope for the Qing Dynasty, and the Labor Party's path was simply too violent, making it difficult for them to accept.

For example, Liang Qichao, who was already willing to cooperate with Sun Yat-sen and other revolutionaries, absolutely could not accept such radical remarks about eliminating the landlord class. He always believed that China could only follow a constitutional monarchy like Japan. After Cai E and his group returned to Tokyo, they maintained correspondence with Lin Xinyi, but Cai E only just learned that Lin Xinyi had transferred to Tokyo, so he came over with Ji Yihui.

He hoped that Ji Yihui could truly accept the Labor Party's ideals and become a valuable asset to the party, since Ji Yihui would soon graduate and return to China, and would be a pawn for the Labor Party to infiltrate the government. Additionally, he wanted to hear Lin Xinyi's analysis of the Chinese political situation and his views on the development of the Labor Party, so after obtaining the name of the school Lin Xinyi was attending in Tokyo, he rushed over.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Ogawa Residence

Ji Yihui couldn't help but point out to Lin Xinyi, "Today, the court is acting perversely, and officials and people everywhere have long found it unbearable. For example, this time, the Boxers in the north used the slogan of 'Promote the Qing and Destroy the Foreigners,' but the governors and viceroys in the south all thought it was unacceptable and expressed their opposition to the court's decision. The two gentlemen Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, along with the revolutionary Sun Yat-sen, decided to join forces to launch an uprising, unite with the governors and viceroys in the southeast to resist the Qing dynasty's faction, and rescue His Majesty the Emperor. This shows that the landlord class is not incapable of leading a revolution."

Lin Hsin-yi asked Tsai E with some surprise, "Could it be that your Labor Party has also joined this uprising?"

Cai E shook his head and said, "Junyi and Lishan believe that Lin Jun's analysis is correct. Zhang Zhidong and Liu Kunyi neither support the Reform Movement nor are willing to antagonize the foreigners. Fundamentally, they only want to preserve their own power and position. Therefore, relying on them to overthrow the Later Party is very dangerous, because they may betray us due to unfavorable circumstances."

Junyi and Lishan returned to China for two reasons: first, to persuade the young people of Hunan and Hubei provinces not to act impulsively and sacrifice their lives needlessly; and second, to contact Zhang Zhidong and Liu Kunyi to promote industrial development and the planning of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge. However, the situation in the north seems to have eased somewhat; the murderer of the British missionary has been arrested, and there seem to be some clear-headed people in the court. Will things really become as irreversible as you say?

Lin Xinyi could tell that although Cai E acknowledged his analysis, he still couldn't help but harbor a sliver of hope for the Qing Dynasty, feeling that there was still a tiny bit of hope that the Qing Dynasty was worth saving. Ji Yihui, on the other hand, clearly had even greater hopes for the Qing Dynasty. That's why the two of them showed uncertainty about the future of the revolution in front of him.

He gently rubbed the teacup in his hands; the tea was no longer scalding hot, so the temperature was just right. After gazing at the tea in the cup for a moment, Lin Xinyi posed a question to the two men: "What do you two believe is the fundamental responsibility of a government?"

Cai E and Ji Yihui exchanged glances before sharing their views with Lin Xinyi, which revolved around the themes of pacifying the people and protecting the territory. Lin Xinyi nodded and then shook his head, saying, "What you said isn't entirely wrong, but I think it can be summarized as follows: the fundamental tasks of the government are actually twofold: developing productive forces and distributing social wealth."

When a government is unable to develop productive forces or rationally distribute social wealth, then classes whose interests are harmed will inevitably rise up in rebellion. Revolution, in essence, is the seizure of political power, which then replaces the old government in completing the tasks of redistributing social wealth and developing productive forces.

The Westernization Movement advocated developing productive forces without changing the way social wealth is distributed. The Reform Movement believed that both developing productive forces and slightly changing the way social wealth is distributed should be done. The Conservatives believed that neither developing productive forces nor changing the way social wealth is distributed should be done, and that it is best to keep everything as it is.

Under such circumstances, unless the reformers transcend their own class and seek the support of other classes, they cannot change the status quo. As for the other two factions, they cannot betray their own class interests, so they cannot lead social change.

Simply put, while some people from landlord families might betray their origins and join the revolution, the landlord class as a whole would never relinquish its autocratic power or betray its class interests. This is the materialist view of history.

Therefore, I firmly believe that this uprising, a joint effort between the reformers and revolutionaries, is doomed to failure, because they have neither identified their true enemy nor their true allies; it is merely another impulsive and opportunistic rebellion.

Ji Yihui was now truly convinced that the young man before him was indeed the author of the Q&A book, because his arrogance was exactly the same as the character in the book. However, he couldn't come up with any theoretical arguments to refute the other party; he only felt a sense of injustice. He could only silently hope that the facts would prove the other party wrong, otherwise, China's future would be far too bleak.

Cai E had gained a deeper understanding of Lin Xinyi's previous remarks about the path of the Chinese revolution. He repeatedly pondered the events unfolding in China, wanting to know if the path they were taking was flawed. Unlike his lofty discussions with Lin Xinyi in Tokyo, in China, a single wrong step could cost him his head. The Qing dynasty had never shown any mercy when it came to killing Chinese people.

A silence fell over the room as the three men lost in their own thoughts. Lin Xinyi wasn't pondering the Boxer Rebellion or the possibility of being expelled from the school; rather, he was considering how to respond to Ogawa Heikichi's questioning. His suspension from school would likely be quite difficult for the Japanese to accept.

After a while, Cai E finally came to his senses and felt that he shouldn't let the atmosphere become awkward, so he asked Lin Xinyi, "Actually, there's something else I wanted to say to you, Mr. Lin. I'd like to invite you to join the Labor Party. What do you think?"

Lin Xinyi asked with some surprise, "I am Japanese, and peace between Japan and China may not last forever. In my opinion, the Qing court will definitely anger the foreign powers, which will lead to them sending troops to Beijing to protect their citizens. Japan will not give up this opportunity to send troops. Joining the Workers' Party is probably not a good thing for me."

Ji Yihui, however, seemed to still harbor a sliver of goodwill towards the foreign powers. He said to Lin Xinyi, "Since the foreign powers are only sending troops to protect their overseas Chinese, they shouldn't do anything excessive, right?"

Lin Xinyi smiled at him, then asked in return, "There's a saying in your country: 'It's easy to invite a god, but hard to send him away.' If even gods are so hard to send away, how much harder are these powers that once forced your country to sign unequal treaties? Putting aside other issues, if the Russians take this opportunity to send troops to Manchuria, do you think they would be willing to back down?"

Ji Yihui immediately fell silent. It was a consensus among the Chinese that among the great powers, the Russians were the most greedy. Even though Japan had forced China to cede territory and pay reparations in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese people's hatred for Japan was still less than their hatred for the Russians. This was because China and Japan were separated by the sea, while China and Russia shared a long land border. In this era of national weakness, any Chinese person with even a little education feared that this northern giant might charge south and destroy China.

Hearing Lin Xinyi's insightful judgment in just a few words, Cai E had no further hesitation and firmly said to Lin Xinyi, "I believe that Japanese people like Mr. Lin will definitely become friends of the Chinese. We also need the strength of Japanese friends like Mr. Lin to repel the great powers and reclaim our lost rights. Therefore, I still hope to invite Mr. Lin to join the Labor Party."

Lin Xinyi thought for a moment and then said, "If that's the case, I'll join your party under the name Lin Feng. May I ask what the organization of the Labor Party is like?"

A smile appeared on Cai E's face as he carefully explained the organizational structure of the Labor Party to Lin Xinyi. He then concluded, "Mr. Lin, your judgment is correct. Using your method to establish a political party is indeed much more efficient. At least everyone understands their responsibilities and won't rush around trying to network, but no one is willing to handle logistics, organization, or propaganda."

Lin Xinyi nodded and said, "However, I'm afraid I can't help you much in the short term, because I still need to learn and accumulate experience. It seems there's nothing I can do about the Chinese revolution."

Cai E said, “No, Lin Jun has already done a lot for us. For us, the revolutionary path that Lin Jun pointed out has already exceeded the sum of all our work. If there were other options, I would not have disturbed Lin Jun’s life. For us, it would be enough if Lin Jun just sent us an article analyzing the current situation from time to time so that the party members could study it.”

Ji Yihui agreed, saying, "Yes, Mr. Lin's articles are very persuasive. We've started a labor newspaper, but we haven't found the right direction yet. It would be great if Mr. Lin could write a few articles to guide us."

Lin Hsin-yi eventually exchanged contact addresses with Tsai E and Chi Yi-hui, indicating that he would submit any articles he had to them, and they agreed on how to contact each other. The three then concluded their meeting.

Lin Xinyi then took a public carriage to Nihonbashi, and from Nihonbashi he transferred to another carriage to Fukagawa Kojima-cho. By the time he arrived at Ogawa Heikichi's residence, it was already getting dark. Mrs. Ogawa was surprised to see Lin Xinyi return so suddenly, but she still let him into the house and made him dinner.

After dinner, the two chatted idly for a while. When it was completely dark, Ogawa Heikichi finally returned, reeking of alcohol. Seeing his wife and Hayashi Nobuyoshi greeting him at the entrance, he slapped his forehead and said, "Ah, I completely forgot about school. Hayashi, did you get into trouble at school?"

Seeing how drunk Xiaochuan was, Lin Xinyi revealed part of the situation, saying, "No, I was just responding to the Emperor's call, hoping that the school authorities could improve their teaching practices a little."

After a long silence, Xiao Chuan finally spoke to Lin Xinyi, "Hey kid. I'm not drunk yet. Do you think what you're saying makes sense?"

Lin Xinyi immediately stood up straight and said, "I just want to do something for the country like Uncle Xiaochuan. Is that wrong?"

Ogawa wanted to say something more, but a wave of nausea washed over him, and he immediately covered his mouth and rushed to the toilet. Half a day later, Ogawa Heikichi's roar came from the toilet, "I'll talk to you again tomorrow, you just wait."

Mrs. Ogawa came out of the bathroom with a sigh, then led Lin Xinyi to the guest room and said to him, "Don't pay any attention to him. He'll definitely forget about it tomorrow and leave early in the morning. Now that you're back, just stay home and reflect on your actions. The school won't be so heartless as to expel you for such a trivial matter."

Lin Xinyi thanked the other party for their concern. After closing the door, he immediately lay down on the tatami mat, sprawling out in a starfish shape. It had been a long day, he thought wearily.

Chapter 29 Shitamachi Culture

From March to April, under pressure from foreign ministers to the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry), the murderer of the British missionary was executed by the Qing government. Beijing diplomats believed that the situation in China was beginning to improve, which gave the Yamagata Cabinet a false sense of security that the situation in Qing China would not deteriorate to the extent described by Itō Hirobumi.

During this time, Ito also learned from his private secretary that Lin Xinyi had been suspended from school. While wiping the orchid leaves with a cloth, he said to his secretary, Mori Tai, "Young people, it's understandable that they do some foolish things. A young person who doesn't dare to break the rules will never achieve great things. Speaking of which, back in Matsushita Village School, everyone was a lawless young man, believing they were the only ones who could change the world. More than 40 years have passed in the blink of an eye..."

Seeing Ito Hirobumi begin to reminisce about the past, Mori Taijiro stood quietly to the side without disturbing him. After some time, Ito suddenly spoke up, "Since he's idle at home, take him the telegrams recently sent from Beijing and see what he can deduce. As for the school, go and talk to them. Let him suspend his studies, but keep his student status. Anyway, there's not much to learn in Form Five. Let's see what he does without any constraints."

Mrs. Ogawa was right. The next morning, Ogawa Heikichi got up early, ate breakfast, and rushed out the door, not even having time to say anything to Lin Xinyi. Lin Xinyi spent half the day at home reflecting on his actions; in reality, he spent the entire morning studying a map of Tokyo. After finding his target, he told Mrs. Ogawa after lunch and then left.

Although Tokyo in this era had a strong old-world charm, according to some literary experts, it was full of rich historical traditions that should be preserved forever and would be a great treasure for future generations.

However, it is obvious that these intellectuals and experts prefer to live in small villas in the suburbs or in modernized courtyard houses within the Second Ring Road. They do not care how ordinary people live in large courtyards without running water or sewage systems, nor do they care how ordinary people without convenient transportation have to travel long distances to work in factories. After all, they live a life where they can get rich without working, simply by praising the powerful and wealthy. They are the epitome of the rich leading the poor to get rich.

However, the so-called metropolises of the agricultural era were actually just a bunch of dirty villages piled up together. If there were no rivers in the city to carry away the garbage and transport goods, then the neighborhoods would be surrounded by garbage. The most typical example is Paris in the 17th and 18th centuries. Louis XIV could not stand the stench in Paris, so he built the Palace of Versailles in the suburbs far away from Paris.

Edo was certainly much better than Paris because it was located on Tokyo Bay and had many rivers flowing through it during the Edo period. However, the working-class areas of Edo were still crowded and dirty. Even after decades of the Meiji Restoration, most parts of Tokyo still retained the streets from the Edo period. Only the area from Nihonbashi to the Imperial Palace had barely been built up to resemble a modern city, and this area was the face of Japan during the Meiji period.

The place Lin Xinyi was looking for was right here: the Imperial Library, established in 1872 and under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education. Although he remembered many historical events, nothing was more helpful than newspapers and libraries for a more detailed understanding of this era. Compared to the lack of information in Kobe, Tokyo was a relatively information-rich place, though of course, the information richness here couldn't compare to the internet age of later generations.

What Lin Xinyi resented most about transferring to the First Middle School was that, despite the abundance of information to explore in Tokyo, he was confined to the school and forced to learn middle school material, losing the freedom he had enjoyed in Kobe. However, being suspended from school wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The Imperial Library, after more than 20 years of development, had indeed become a vast library with over 10 books, as well as various domestic and international newspapers and periodicals.

With his student ID, Lin Xinyi easily obtained a library card. When he saw the wide variety of newspapers in the newspaper room, including many foreign language newspapers, he knew he had come to the right place.

For the next two or three days, Lin Xinyi lived the same commuting life as Ogawa Heikichi. After learning that Lin Xinyi went to the Imperial Library to read every day, Mrs. Ogawa was relieved.

However, Ogawa Heikichi returned home quite early that day, but he didn't go home for dinner. Instead, he changed into casual clothes and asked Lin Xinyi to go out with him. Although he didn't know what it was about, Lin Xinyi still changed into his outdoor clothes and went out with Ogawa Heikichi.

As night fell, the dirty streets disappeared, and the wooden houses along the roadside displayed a unique charm under the dim lights. Lin Xinyi, who rarely went out at night, finally began to understand what Edo-style atmosphere was like.

From Ogawa-ya, following the road along the Sumida River to the Kanda River, you reach the most famous Edo-era working-class neighborhood, also known as Shitamachi (downtown culture). In simpler terms, it was Edo's largest entertainment district for ordinary people. Although Edo became Tokyo, Tokyo's entertainment scene remained largely unchanged from the Edo period.

Lin Xinyi could understand why Xiao Chuan always came home so drunk, but when he entered a Japanese-style hotel and saw Xiao Chuan skillfully order a hostess for him, he was still quite surprised. Although he didn't mind going out and having fun with friends, indulging in revelry with his nominal elders was beyond his psychological tolerance.

However, Ogawa Heikichi, completely different from his refined demeanor during the day, embraced a bar girl beside him and mocked, "Kobayashi, you dared to go against your teachers at school, so why are you so hesitant now? A man should be able to let loose when he needs to, and follow the rules when he needs to. Now is the time to let loose, so don't be so coy..."

Looking at the unrestrained and utterly disrespectful Ogawa Heikichi, Lin Xinyi truly felt that deep down he was still Chinese; at least he couldn't switch between two personalities as naturally as the other man. However, Ogawa Heikichi paid no further attention to the reserved Lin Xinyi, focusing instead on flirting with the familiar bar hostesses.

The bar girl sitting next to Lin Xinyi was about three or four years older than him. Although she was a bit short, she was quite voluptuous. It seemed that this was not the first time she had seen such a reserved young man as Lin Xinyi. She used her words to soothe his nervousness in a tactful way, so that Lin Xinyi did not feel too embarrassed.

Just as Lin Xinyi was beginning to relax and was able to chat briefly with the bar girl, the door opened. Two men in yukatas walked in; the younger, thinner man walked in front, while the older, more capable-looking man followed behind.

Seeing the two men enter, Ogawa Heikichi finally released the bar hostess he was holding, stood up to greet them, and instructed Hayashi Shinji to bow to them, saying, "This is Mr. Mori, and this is Mr. Tomiyama..."

Tomiyama Mitsuru, who accompanied Mori Kainan, knew Ogawa Heikichi. He was the son-in-law of senator Kanai Noriyuki, a well-known lawyer in Tokyo, and had even helped him with a case. However, he didn't think Ogawa Heikichi was worthy of Mori Kainan's visit; given their respective positions, the roles should have been reversed.

Mori Taijiro glanced at the boy in the room, then stopped Ogawa Heikichi from introducing himself and said to the boy, "I work for the Tokyo Hiragana Illustration Newspaper. Mr. Lin's last masterpiece was published in our newspaper. Due to some reasons, your work cannot be published for the time being, but many readers are still very interested in this story. Therefore, our company hopes that Mr. Lin can write a few current affairs commentary articles about Qing Dynasty China to appease our readers."

Although he didn't know why Mori Taijiro was hiding his origins, Tomiyama Mitsuru silently sat down with him, then instructed the barmaid next to him to serve the dishes again, and then asked the barmaid to leave so that Mori Taijiro could talk business.

Frankly, Lin Xinyi had no interest in writing commentaries on Qing Dynasty affairs, because what he wanted to write about had already been expressed in that novel. The changes in Qing Dynasty would surprise all the worlds, and then the great powers would launch a new wave of scrambling to divide up China's interests. What was there to comment on in such history?

Therefore, Lin Xinyi stated that he was not keeping up with the current affairs of the Qing Dynasty and had not had much time to study it recently, so he did not intend to accept the request.

Ogawa Heikichi asked with some surprise, "Weren't you staying home from school? What are you busy with?"

Lin Xinyi casually said, "Although I'm not going to school now, I think there are places in Tokyo that are more worth visiting than schools, such as the Imperial Library. The books and newspapers there are much more interesting than textbooks."

There's really not much to study about the Qing Dynasty; what's truly worth studying is the European issue. When I was in Kobe, I didn't see much news about Europe, so of course I should have studied that thoroughly. That's why I didn't have time to pay attention to the changes in the Qing Dynasty.

Tomiyama Mitsuru, who had been silent, couldn't help but interject when he heard the boy's boastful words: "Qing Dynasty and Japan are close neighbors. Instead of caring about their neighbor's affairs, they are concerned about distant European affairs. Isn't that being too ambitious?"

Lin Xinyi didn't know who this person was, assuming he was just Mr. Sen's follower, so he spoke without restraint: "The so-called affairs of the Qing Dynasty are actually the affairs of the great powers. And the world's great powers all come from Europe. If you don't study European problems, what are you talking about Qing Dynasty affairs? This is also a kind of closed-door mentality."

Chapter Thirty: Games

Toyama only began to rise to prominence after he turned thirty-five. Before that, he had spent most of his time among the lower classes. Although he had seen many ronin in the lower classes who were even more arrogant than Hayashi Shinji, he still disliked Hayashi Shinji, who was valued by Mori Taijiro at a young age.

He felt that such a person was too flashy and insubstantial. He wasn't born into nobility, so why was he so arrogant? Arrogance was one thing, but to actually gain the favor of a noble person made him want to tear through the other person's glamorous exterior and see what was inside.

After hearing Lin Xinyi's boastful words, he coldly retorted: "Although the great powers originated from Europe, China has held the position of East Asian hegemon for thousands of years. It has a vast territory, abundant resources, and a large population. If it can be revitalized, how can the great powers run rampant in Asia with China's advantages in resources and population?"

Hearing this, Lin Xinyi finally took a serious look at the middle-aged man. Although he didn't look particularly remarkable, there was a fierce aura between his brows, making him seem like someone who didn't belong in the legitimate world. Lin Xinyi had to admit that the Meiji era was indeed a time when Japan produced a great many talented individuals.

However, he shook his head and said, "What this uncle said makes a lot of sense, it's just a pity."

Tomiyama Mitsuru asked in surprise, "What's a pity?"

Lin Xinyi picked up the sake in front of him and drank it all in one gulp before saying, "It's a pity that the Qing Dynasty itself can't see this point, and our country's rulers are too short-sighted. They don't know that diplomacy is for the country's benefit, not for the war."

Mori Taijiro listened with great interest to the conversation between Hayashi Shinji and Tomiyama Mitsuru. Although his main job as Ito's private secretary was to write letters and revise Chinese poems and he did not care about political affairs, he had been by Ito's side for so long and had been influenced by what he saw and heard. He was not a scholar who knew nothing about politics. He could naturally tell that although Hayashi Shinji's tone was loud, it was not the kind of arrogance of a ronin.

The arrogance of a ronin is a means to attract the attention of those in power. They dare to make grand pronouncements without considering their feasibility. After all, ronin are essentially losers in the competition of society. They are unwilling to remain at the bottom, but unable to climb up on their own, they can only try every means to attract the attention of those in power, thus giving themselves a chance to turn their lives around.

Speaking of which, Toyama Mitsuru, who was by his side, was a ronin who had come back from the dead. The key to Toyama Mitsuru's turnaround was to advocate for the Korean campaign, which eventually gained the appreciation of some people and thus obtained the opportunity to develop the Kyushu coal mines. Now he has finally become a wealthy man with status.

However, in Ito's eyes, someone like Tomiyama was ultimately just a servant used for paying bills and doing shady business, not worth paying too much attention to. Therefore, Mori Taijiro was also very curious as to why Ito valued a boy from Nagano countryside so much. He was quite happy to watch Tomiyama test Hayashi Shin's capabilities.

Mori Taijiro remained silent, and Ogawa Heikichi naturally didn't interrupt him either. Although Tomiyama knew that Mori Taijiro intended to test the boy through him, he didn't think he was inferior to the boy. Furthermore, he also wanted to show Mori Taijiro his knowledge and let Ito know that he wasn't just a ronin who only knew empty talk.

Therefore, he pressed on without hesitation: "War is the foundation of a country's survival. If you lose a war, what kind of country is that? Serving the war is serving the country. Kid, your understanding is still too limited."

Although Hayashi Shin-yi had no intention of competing with strangers, Mori Taijiro's desired commentary was clearly not the kind that would make Chinese people reflect, but rather a discussion on how to maximize Japan's interests by taking advantage of the Qing Dynasty's situation. Hayashi Shin-yi obviously had no interest in offering advice to the aggressors.

Therefore, he simply changed the subject, taking advantage of Tomiyama Mitsuru's challenge, saying, "If it's just empty talk, we could argue for three days and three nights and still not reach a conclusion. Since this uncle so firmly believes that diplomacy serving the war is serving the country, why don't we play a game?"

Tomiyama felt like he had punched empty air. The boy's answer caught him off guard, and after a moment's hesitation, he asked, "What game?"

After a moment's thought, Lin Xinyi said, "Based on the current situation in Qing China, you, Uncle, will be in charge of diplomacy with Japan, and I will be in charge of diplomacy with Russia, Qing China, Germany, the United States, Britain, and France. Uncle Ogawa and Uncle Mori will act as judges. If our diplomatic decisions do not conform to their understanding, they will be revoked. Let's see what kind of results diplomacy serving the country versus diplomacy serving the war will lead to. What do you think?"

Tomiyama Mitsuru hesitated for a moment before glancing at Mori Taijiro, only to see the renowned Sinologist nod enthusiastically in agreement, saying, "Men come here to relax, and this kind of game is quite interesting. However, we should also find a few beautiful women to write down your diplomatic measures; that would make the game even more fun."

Seeing that Mori Taijiro didn't object, and Tomiyama Mitsuru didn't think he would lose anything by playing a game, he simply got up and went outside to call over a few bar girls. These elegantly dressed bar girls originally thought they were there to keep him company while he drank, but Tomiyama Mitsuru had someone bring paper and pen, and then arranged for one person to sit in front of him, so the six of them sat in front of Lin Xinyi and asked what game they wanted to play.

Although they didn't know what these customers wanted to do, Tomiyama Mitsuru was a regular at the bar and always generous with his money, so the bar girls did as they were told. After settling the bar girls in, Tomiyama Mitsuru asked Hayashi Shinichi, "So, how should we begin?"

Lin Xinyi was quite familiar with this kind of game. He thought for a moment and said, "Let's start with the changes in the situation in Qing China. Under pressure from foreign ministers, the Qing government executed the murderer of the British missionary and compensated the British. However, this verdict did not gain the approval of the Qing people. Discontent with the Qing government began to rise, the number of civilians joining the Boxer Rebellion increased significantly, and people in the Beizhili area began to attack officials and foreigners who protected them..."

Mitsuru Tomiyama couldn't help but interrupt, saying, "What do you mean by what you're saying now? What does it have to do with diplomacy?"

Lin Xinyi bowed slightly and said, "This is how the plot unfolds. Diplomacy always requires a response to a specific situation. Do you think there are any problems with my deductions about the situation in Qing China, Uncle Xiaochuan and Uncle Sen?"

Ogawa subconsciously looked at Mori, who recalled the telegram sent back by Qing China and finally nodded, saying, "We can continue to deduce in this direction."

Tomiyama Mitsuru shut his mouth, and Hayashi Shinyi continued, "...The Qing government was powerless to expel foreigners as the people demanded, nor was it able to suppress the rioting people as the foreigners demanded. The various powers decided to send troops to Beijing to protect their overseas Chinese...The Empress Dowager of Qing decided to support the Boxers in expelling foreigners in China. Next, all the countries decided to send troops, and it was your turn to make a decision on behalf of Japan."

Tomiyama Mitsuru felt there was no need to hesitate; the obvious answer was to send troops. When Hayashi Shin-yi, in his capacity as the British minister, inquired whether the Japanese army would join the Allied forces, Tomiyama Mitsuru readily agreed.

But what happened next made Tomiyama Mitsuru feel that something was very wrong. He called out again and questioned, "Hey, hey, wasn't it supposed to be a unified operation by the Allied forces? Why did the Russians directly send troops to occupy Manchuria? This is too strange!"

Lin Xinyi looked at him calmly and said, "The Russians believe they are fulfilling their responsibilities as part of the Allied forces, and that Britain or other countries have no right to interfere with their actions. Germany and France have tacitly approved of Russia's actions. Britain can only express concern, Qing China is powerless to resist, and the United States supports Britain. So what does Japan intend to do?"

Mitsuru Tomiyama continued his protest: "Why can Britain only express concern? Why do Germany and France tacitly approve of Russia's actions? You have not given any reason at all."

Lin Xinyi shook his head and said, "The reasons have already been given to the two referees. Why don't you ask them if my reasons are sufficient?"

Tomiyama Mitsuru turned to look at Mori and Ogawa, only to see them nod at him and say, "Kobayashi's reasoning makes sense. We believe that the diplomatic actions of Germany, France, and Britain are reasonable."

At this moment, Lin Xinyi suddenly said to Tomiyama Mitsuru, "The British side has requested that Japan jointly declare the preservation of China's territorial integrity. Does Japan agree?"

Faced with the current situation, Toyama Mitsuru could only nod in agreement. Hayashi Nobuyoshi, then speaking on behalf of Russia, refused to withdraw troops from Manchuria and accelerated the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Toyama Mitsuru could only reiterate, "If things continue like this, Japan will have no choice but to prepare for war against Russia."

Lin Xinyi nodded and said, "The British side expressed sympathy for Japan's position."

Mitsuru Tomiyama: "..."

Under Hayashi Nobuyoshi's gradual manipulation, Tomiyama Mitsuru ultimately chose to reach a mutual defense agreement with Britain, stipulating that Britain would only assume its responsibilities as an ally if Russia launched an attack on Japan. At the same time, Hayashi Nobuyoshi, acting in Britain's capacity, agreed to the United States accepting the Panama Canal project, which France had abandoned halfway through.

Somewhat puzzled, Tomiyama asked, "What does the construction of the Panama Canal by the Americans have to do with British diplomacy?"

Lin Xinyi refused to answer, saying that the answer had already been submitted to the referee. In the end, with Lin Xinyi's prompting, Tomiyama Mitsuru decided to launch an attack on Russia before the Trans-Siberian Railway opened.

When Mitsuru Toyama declared war on Russia, Shinichi Hayashi clapped his hands and said, "Alright, the game is over. This is the difference between Japan's diplomacy serving the war and Britain's diplomacy serving the nation..."

Chapter Thirty-One: May and June

Tomiyama felt like he'd wasted his time; it seemed like his every move had been orchestrated, and he'd merely read his lines from a script, failing to demonstrate any of his abilities or insights. Of course, he deliberately ignored the fact that the decisions he'd just made were indeed his own, or rather, they reflected the stance he'd consistently presented to the outside world.

If he disregarded the actions of the British, he felt that he had chosen the path most beneficial to Japan. However, looking at the British diplomacy under Hayashi Shin-yi's control, he couldn't understand their actions at all. He didn't even understand why Hayashi Shin-yi declared the game over as soon as he declared war on Russia on behalf of Japan, as if he had already won the game.

Fumihiro Tomiyama, puzzled, wanted to take the strategy written by Hayashi Shinichi through a bar girl from Mori Taijiro's hands to take a look, but Mori Taijiro glanced at him and smiled, saying, "It's just a game, Fumihiro, why are you so concerned? Just think about the mutual defense alliance you signed with Britain on behalf of Japan, and you'll know why this game ended. Japan won the war, while Britain paid almost nothing."

It was supposed to be a game, but Mori Taijiro carefully collected all the messages written by the bar girls, clearly intending to take them with him. Faced with this situation, Tomiyama Mitsuru had no choice but to take the bar girls out to hand out tips.

When only the three of them remained in the room, Mori Taijiro looked at Lin Xinyi and said, "After watching this game, I'm even more interested in your political essays, Kobayashi. Here's what we'll do: whether it's Qing Dynasty or Europe, as long as you can write about it, I'm willing to give you a very high reward."

Lin Xinyi rolled his eyes, finally asking with interest, "How tall will it be?"